


My home is where my hearts stand

by Madam_Violet



Series: The Vault Chronicles [24]
Category: Doctor Who, Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: Book: The Missy Chronicles, Friendship, Gen, Missy needs a hug
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-07
Updated: 2018-05-07
Packaged: 2019-05-03 16:41:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,933
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14573181
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Madam_Violet/pseuds/Madam_Violet
Summary: Escaping from Hazran's watch, Alit finds Missy crying alone under a tree. She decides to help her new friend finding why she's so sad.Spoilers for the book Missy Chronicles.





	My home is where my hearts stand

Alit was walking in the countryside, looking for something to do. Classes were cancelled again and the other kids were playing in the farm building. The little girl kicked a molehill in frustration. How could any of them have fun in such a moment ! She hated feeling useless and was angry after Hazran who had sent her away. If only her caretaker knew about the other night, when she had fought Cybermen and crawled in corridors to help the two strangers. But it wasn,'t really something she was sure Hazran would like hearing. It was a great memory, to be fair, and Alit had learned plenty of things about the newcomers, things they had told her or they had spoken about carelessly in front of her. Being a child was her most useful skill.  
As she was strolling in the large grass field, she noticed a purple shape lying in the everlasting green scenery. After she had glanced a quick look around, she rushed towards the woman napping under a tree.  
"Missy !" she chirped cheerfully.  
The woman got up on her elbows and smiled faintly. The little girl sat by her side and the woman didn't move.  
"What are you doing here, you should be with the other little ones."  
"They're boring ! The only thing they think about is having fun. It's infuriating !"  
Missy smiled almost kindly, but Alit guessed she wasn't used to kind smiles, so she looked a bit scary. Scary or not, Alit knew for sure Missy was nice and she only needed friends, like most of the weird kids at school.  
"What are you doing here ? Are you hiding away from Mr Grumpy Beard ?"  
Missy nodded.  
"I wanted to be alone."  
"Do you want me to leave ?"  
The woman chewed her cheeks a moment, visibly hesitant. She finally shook her head.  
"No, you can stay."  
The little girl smiled and started gathering daisies to make a chain.  
"Nardole was looking for you" she said casually.  
"That's why I am hiding."  
"He seemed worried, you should have told him you went for a stroll."  
A flash of anger sparkled in Missy's pale blue eyes and Alit shivered. Her whole appearance made showed how dangerous she was, like a big cat ready to use her claws.  
"You don't want him to tell you what to do, right ? I hate it too when Hazran or the other grown-ups do this !"  
"What is the Egg doing ? I mean Nardole. Did he find an idea for the next attack ?"  
"I'm not sure. Why don't you help him ? You seem to really care about us."  
Missy lowered her eyes in what Alit interpreted as a shameful expression.  
"I only care about the Doctor. He's still sleeping and I'm scared the Cybermen might take him. I wish I could help, but no one trust me and all they do is giving me useless tasks to keep me busy."  
"Yeah, as I said, it's infuriating !"  
"Please, tell me you didn't talk about what I did the other night. I don't care if the Egg doesn't trust me, but it's capital Mr Grumpy Beard does. If he doubts one second about me, I won't be able to keep you safe from him."  
Alit bursted into a mischievous laughter.  
"Seriously ? I'm not stupid, I don't want to be grounded until the end of the world !"  
"Perfect. I didn't say anything either."  
"Maybe you should tell Nardole. You are on the same side, and he would trust you a bit more."  
"I don't care if he trusts me or not, the most important is the round faced moron."  
"Well, I wish Hazran trusted me !" Alit pouted.  
"It not the same" Missy said tiredly. "You're a child and she's an adult. As far as I know, human adults care a lot about their little ones."  
"I'm sure Nardole cares for you, he asked Hazran if he could make you a cup of chocolate even if the stocks of milk are very limited. She frowned a bit, because what's for the children is only for the children, but he told her he needed to keep you on his side."  
Missy shrugged but Alit guessed she was happy to learn she was trusted, even a little. As far as the little girl had understood, Missy was an ex prisoner doing her first trip outside in a long time and her future depended on how she behaved. It was a bit sad the other ones didn't know what she secretely did with the control panel. She wasn,'t sure about the other man's identity. They looked really similar and Nardole sometimes refered them as the twins, so she guessed he was her brother. She wasn't sure how he arrived here. Apparently he had been stuck on the lower levels for a while, and they had found him as they were following a distress message.  
Right now, Missy was lying in the grass again, her eyes lost in the void. Alit was sure she was on the verge of crying.  
"Are you alright, Missy ?" she asked softly.  
"Yes, of course, sweetheart. I'm just a bit... off. And tired, I'm not sure why."  
"Maybe you miss the Doctor. For how long have you know him ?"  
"Since I was a wee thing like you. We went to school together."  
"Then it must be that. Nardole says he will wake up soon. It's normal to worry about the ones you love."  
Missy nodded and started crying.  
"You can cry, I promise I won't tell Nardole and Mr Grumpy Beard."  
She nodded and let the tears flow down her sharp cheeks. She looked very sad and very lost. Alit took her hand cautiously, and seeing no aggressive reaction, she pulled her into a hug. Missy tensed a bit, then relaxed and started sobbing softly. Alit said nothing, and kept the embrace firm until Missy started fidgeting. Alit let her go and started making her daisy chain again.  
"I cry often at night" she said after a moment of companionable silence. "I miss my home and my parents."  
"This place is not your home ?" Missy asked in surprise.  
"No, I live in the village near the wall. My parents brought me there when the Cybermen fist attacked. I put myself into trouble a few times and I think I became a bother for them. I know they're really busy, guarding the village and protecting the houses but it makes me a bit sad. I really wanted to help, and now I'm always under Hazran's watch. Do you miss home ?"  
"Home ?" Missy asked in confusion.  
"Yeah, the place where you feel safe and where everything is normal and ordinary."  
Missy chewed her lip, in deep concentration.  
"Maybe I do, a little. I haven't thought about that."  
"How was it, on Earth ?"  
"I'm not sure. I was imprisoned there, so I didn't really see the Earth. I know my prison was near a school because the Doctor worked as a teacher to make money and merge with the humans."  
"Did you hear the children play ?" Alit asked with a smile.  
"No, it wasn't this kind of school. It was a grown up school for training doctors, and scientists and people with lots of diploma and shallow knowledge. Sometimes I heard music and parties, though. Bill was studying there, I think."  
"The Cyberman in the barn ?"  
Missy nodded with a sniff.  
"Yes, I had almost forgotten she... nevermind. She was a bit like you, probably a few years older. She had dark skin and frizzy hair too, and she asked many questions. I don't know her that well but I'm sure she was quite smart for a human, and pretty, typically the kind of girls the Doctor travels with."  
Missy had said those last words with a bitterness that didn't pass above Alit's head. She sounded jealous, just like mummy when daddy said the girl at the bakery had pretty eyes.  
"The Doctor was nice with you ? He was guarding you, right ?"  
"No, he wasn't really guarding me. But he was visiting me almost every day" she said dreamily "Nardole was guarding me most of the time."  
"I'm sure he was nice too."  
Missy shrugged.  
"He's not as nice as the Doctor, and he's always nagging me  _" don't do this, Missy"_,  _" don't say that, Missy"_. I guess he's not that bad, he makes good tea, and he buys me things when I ask "  
"They both seem to care about you. Why are you all here ?"  
"I don't really know. It's what they do, answering distress calls. Usually it's only the Doctor and Bill, sometimes Nardole follows. I was feeling a bit lonely, and the Doctor wanted to give me a chance. I think he's tired of guarding my Vault. If I make enough efforts to be good, he can bring me with him wherever he goes and he's free of his duty."  
"It seems a bit selfish." Alit said with a frown. "I'm sure he was worried about you, that you might become sad or lonely in prison."  
Missy shrugged, playing with the hem of her jacket. She looked a bit shy talking about the Doctor.  
"Do you regret coming here ?"  
"Off course not ! The Doctor will save everyone, and he'll see how good and nice I am."  
"Off course you are !"  
Missy stared at Alit for a moment, trying to read on her face. The child laughed warmly.  
"You're not used to people telling you that, are you ? Maybe you are not always good. If you've been in prison, it's probably because you made very bad stuff. I'm sure you killed many people, you look like a comic book villain, all beautiful and dark. But Since I know you, you've always been good. I think I trust you."  
"Why would you trust me, sweetheart ?" Missy asked with a lunatic smile and an unsettling gleam in her eyes.  
"Because you act like a friend with me, not like the other adults out there. You never lied to me when things were dangerous, and you made me do important stuff even if it was a bit risky."  
"I'm not sure it's good."  
"For me it is, because you always made sure i wasn't in danger."  
"Maybe I needed you for later."  
"You were also nice with the Cyberman. I know you had to sacrifice it in the end, but you always made sure it wasn't hurt."  
"Was I ?"  
"Yes ! And you destroyed the Cybermats, without any other reason than saving us."  
"How do you know I have no secret plan ?"  
"Because you didn't tell anyone. If you were making believe, what would be the point of doing things in secret ?"  
"You're probably right. The Doctor says being good is making the right choices without a hope, without a witness and without a reward."  
"It's what you did on the floor below, right ?"  
Missy frowned in concentration.  
"Not really. I have hope that we will survive, you were my witness, and when it's over the Doctor will take me with him see the stars as a reward."  
Alit smiled brightly.  
"Forget all those sad stuff. It's good to have hope, and friends to encourage you, and nice things in the end."  
"So you think I'm good."  
"I don't think so, I'm sure, really, really sure."  
Missy bit her lip and started trembling. Alit looked at her in worry, as tears were forming by her eyes, when she suddenly burst in a manic laughter. She looked properly mad, but the nice sort of mad. Alit giggled too, pulling Missy in a hug.

**Author's Note:**

> I'm currently facing a tiny teensy writing block.  
> If you want to help, you can send me prompts for my Vault series :3 !


End file.
